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James M. Goggin
|died= |placeofbirth= Bedford County, Virginia |placeofdeath= Austin, Texas |placeofburial= Oakwood Cemetery in Austin |placeofburial_label= Place of burial |image= |caption= James Monroe Goggin |nickname= |allegiance= United States of America Confederate States of America |branch= Confederate States Army |serviceyears= 1861–65 |commands= |unit= |battles= American Civil War |awards= |laterwork= }} James Monroe Goggin (October 23, 1820 – October 10, 1889) was an American businessman and soldier. He served as an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, and very briefly as a general in 1864. Early life and Texas Goggin was born in 1820 in Bedford County, Virginia, and was married to Elizabeth Nelson Page. Goggin entered the United States Military Academy in West Point on July 1, 1838, but resigned prior to graduating sometime before 1842. After leaving West Point, Goggin relocated to Texas, where he joined the Army of Texas as a first lieutenant.Eicher, p. 599. Goggin also began purchasing real estate in Waller County while in Texas.Warner, p. 108. In 1848, Goggin was special agent for the United States Postal Service, establishing offices and postal routes in northern California and southern parts of Oregon. Goggin then moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he began working as a cotton broker. He was engaged in this business up until the beginning of the American Civil War. Civil War service In 1861, Goggin chose to follow the Confederate cause. After moving to Virginia, he entered the Confederate States Army as a major on July 1, and was assigned to lead a battalion in the 32nd Virginia Infantry regiment. Goggin and the 32nd served under Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder in 1861 and into 1862 on the Virginia Peninsula. Goggin joined the First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia that April, serving on the staff of Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws as his assistant adjutant general. He served in this capacity during all of the First Corps' engagements, in both the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee, until the spring of 1864.Warner, p. 109. During the Battle of Fort Sanders in November 1863, Goggin carried a message from McLaws to Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, informing him that the attack was beginning to fail.Wert, p. 352. When McLaws was replaced with Maj. Gen. Joseph B. Kershaw that May, Goggin served as his assistant adjutant general as well. His service in this post was highly praised by Goggin's superiors.Warner, p. 109. "...and was on numerous occasions commended for gallantry and fidelity." Goggin's only noteworthy Civil War combat occurred in the Valley Campaigns of 1864. During the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 13, Goggin was given temporarily command of Brig. Gen. James Conner's Brigade. Conner had lost his left leg in combat earlier that day, and Kershaw assigned Goggin to lead his brigade in the battle at Cedar Creek.Eicher, p. 182. On December 4 he was appointed a "special" brigadier general, but this was canceled soon afterwards.Wright, pp. 135-6. "Appointed from Virginia, to rank from December 4, 1864; appointment canceled. No longer a brigadier, Goggin returned to the staff of Kershaw in December 1864, once again as assistant adjutant general. Following the Battle of Sayler's Creek during the 1865 Appomattox Campaign, Goggin, Kershaw, and the rest of the staff were captured on April 6, and they were paroled from that location. Postbellum After the American Civil War ended in 1865, Goggin returned to Texas, initially in the state's Waller County, and then to Austin. He died at the age of 68 in Austin, and was buried in the city's Oakwood Cemetery. See also *List of American Civil War generals References * Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3. * Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Gray: The Lives of the Confederate Commanders, Louisiana State University Press, 1959, ISBN 0-8071-3150-3. * Wert, Jeffery D., General James Longstreet: The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier: A Biography, Simon & Schuster, 1993, ISBN 0-671-70921-6. *Wright, Marcus J., General Officers of the Confederate Army, J. M. Carroll & Co., 1983. ISBN 0-8488-0009-5. * ftp.rootsweb.ancestry.com Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches - Goggin. Notes Category:American businesspeople Category:Confederate States Army generals Category:People of Virginia in the American Civil War Category:People of Texas in the American Civil War Category:American Civil War prisoners of war Category:People from Bedford County, Virginia Category:1820 births Category:1889 deaths